Intangible | Al's of Hampden / Pizza Boy Brewing

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Reviews by Deuane:

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750ml bottle at the source poured into a matching snifter. The brew appears a hazed golden color with a frothy white cap that fades slowly providing spotty lacing effect on the glass. A swirl revives a white finger.

The aroma is super juicy with tangerine zest and earthy lacto funk. Somewhat like yogurt blended in with freshly squeezed lemon and oranges (ok tangerines.) The aroma is clean, sharp and inviting.

The flavor is as juicy and tart as you might expect from what the nose leads on. Actually this is beyond tart to almost acidic from a combo of bacterial souring strong greek yogurt notes and blended with the pulpy juice/zest of grapefruit it seems. The aftertaste is complex with mild notes that are rindy with a bit of bitterness. There is a lasting flvor inside the mouth that is faintly grain but also includes a flavor reminescent of lemon sour patch kids.

This is a very sour brew. Like on the borders of drying your mouth out with a light body and lively amount of carbonation. Very nice all around but this brew is sour and not for the faint of heart. Any hesitation I previously had regarding the difference between this and Afternoon Delight has been crushed. This one is even more juicy and sour however almost to a point of being at fault. It leaves your mouth tingly and while enjoyable, it is not as easily drinkable as its other bottled bretheren. Get this beer now before its gone.

A - A very limited fizzy light khaki colored head quickly dissipates... Once faded, there is absolutely zero lacing remaining... The color is a bright vibrant glowing orange... There is some sporadic medium sized moderate paced carbonation bubbles throughout... A slight sleek film coats the glass...

S - Sweet citrus in the form or oranges and tangerines... A light lactic acid component... Very faint candied sugars...

T - A mix of tangerine and orange zest to start... The dominated flavor is that of sweet sugar covered lemons... Some light vanilla notes... The finish is a terrific blend of tartness and vinegar... A very complex and rewarding brew that reveals new nuance with each and every sip...

D - An absolutely stellar American Wild Ale... Amongst the best that I've had... The three bottled sour offerings from Al's of Hampden / Pizza Boy Brewing have all been stellar and outstanding, but this one is my personal favorite and a cut above the rest... If you're in the area, I highly suggest giving this a try...

Updating my rating for this one. The aged bottle we had recently has really developed nicely. The brett has really come on strong to knock down some of the sourness and helped to complement the fruit. Bumping my scores up a bit in response.
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Served out of a bottle on the opening day of the new Al's of Hampden.

A - Pours slightly hazy yellow with a small film of white head leaving spotty trails of lace down parts of the glass. Not very much action visible.

S - Smells of mild cheesy funk, intense lactic sourness, fresh tangerines, basement must and some wet hay. It takes a little while to get going but once it does there is little doubt what this beer will be about.

T - Starts off with plenty of lactic sourness slowly giving way to hints of ripe tangerines, mild basement must, yogurt and a bit of cheesy funk. Finish is a little heavy on the sourness but it fades pretty quickly, leaving the palate dried long after the finish. It still has plenty of fruit lurking behind all that sourness, helping to keep it balanced as much as it can.

M - Medium body with moderate carbonation. Lactic sour feel is strong throughout but it remains as balanced as it can be. I enjoy an extra sour beer every now and then and this really hit the spot.

O - An interesting wild ale. The sourness is pretty strong so it isn't for the faint of heart. I enjoyed it but it wore on me over the course of the bottle. Definitely worth the price of admission but I prefer the Afternoon Delight to this one.